How to set selected value of DropDownList with jQuery

Question

How do i change the value of the dropdownlist that has its data set via the datasource

ddlContacts.DataSource = Data;
ddlContacts.DataBind();

I have tried this but does not work:

$('#<%= rbDepartment.ClientID %>').change(function() {
    if ($("input[@name=GroupName]:checked").val() == "IS") {
        $('#ddlContactType').val('AM');
    }
});

Answer 1

Give this a shot:

var selectedValue = $("#<%=ddlContacts.ClientID%> option:selected").val();

Just noticed that you're trying to set the value:

$("#<%=ddlContacts.ClientID%>").val("thevalue");

Remember, when dealing with ASP.NET controls on the client side, you have to use the ClientID.

Answer 2

I had the same problem of getting the current selected value from a drop down list and setting a new value as selected. Below is the code I used and it is working:

ASP .Net code:

<asp:DropDownList runat="server" ID="ddlVersion" />

Select the currently selected drop down list option using JQuery:

var selectedVersion = $('#<%=ddlVersion.ClientID%> option:selected').text();

To set the selected value in drop down list:

$('#<%=ddlVersion.ClientID%> option:selected').text(currentVersion);

This code is working perfectly fine.